Q&A Graham Smith creator of the deliciously handsome Jake Boulder ( yeah I know he's fictional but a girl can dream can she not?) Graham's latest book The Kindred Killers is a fantastic read and again features Jake Boulder... did I mention how hot he is?. More importantly The Kindred Killers is released TODAY!

It's a delight for me to welcome Graham Smith onto The Crime Warp today.  Not only is Graham a very talented author but he also hosts the applauded Crime and Publishment courses in his hotel in Gretna and is an inspirational and supportive member of the crime writing fraternity,... He's also a fellow Scot which is a wee added bonus ... and today is the release date for his newest book The Kindred Killers!!!

Liz: Where did the inspiration for The Kindred Killers come from?

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Graham: It was a reworking of a short story I wrote several years ago. The short story received positive comments and I knew that I could adapt the short and use it as the basis for a novel length piece.

Liz:  If The Kindred Killers was ever to be televised or made into a film who would you like to play Jake Boulder and why?

Graham: I like to think Gerard Butler would make a good Jake

Boulder as he’s a visual match. His burring Scottish accent would also lend authenticity to the role for me.

Liz:  Now I'm really swooning.  Gerard Butler would be a brilliant Jake!  Could you describe how the germ of an idea develops into a full-blown novel?

Graham: This is a tough one to answer because each book takes its own shape when the writing begins. When writing a book in a series, you have the characters and the setting in place so all I need is the main crime, what the resolution should be and an interesting point to start the story at. Sometimes I will know one or two things to include such as reveals, twists or red herrings, but these usually come to me as part of the writing process.

Liz: Any tips for would-be writers seeking publication?

Graham: As I was a reviewer before I started writing, I would recommend that aspiring writers, chose five books in the genre or even sub-genre they plan to write in and after reading each

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book, they write a 500 word review. When you know you have the review to write you read in a different way and really notice the various aspects of what makes a book both good and bad. My understanding of writing elements comes largely from osmosis from all the books I’ve read. Writing the reviews makes me aware of the points I’ve learned.

Liz: Any writing exercises you’ve found particularly useful as a writing stimulus?

Graham: Writing short stories to fit a pre-defined word count really taught me how to be economical with words and tell the story without rambling on for fourteen pages about the pattern of the wallpaper.

Liz: Who are your writing heroes and why?

Matt Hilton

Graham: My writing heroes are anyone who can tell a great story. I’m very lucky to have made a whole raft of friends in the crime writing community, Matt Hilton is good friend and a kind of mentor, Col Bury always lends a late night ear for beer-fuelled chats on plot holes and wacky ideas that come to me. I’m in thrall to Craig Russell for his writing skill and I’m delighted that I can now class

Craig Russell

him as a friend.

Liz: What is it about Crime fiction as a genre that turns you on?

Graham: I love a good puzzle, and what better than a puzzle that transports you to a different world, brings you face to face with the most gruesome acts, introduces the most interesting characters and then gives you the resolution so often lacking in reality?

Liz: Do you have competing ideas for future projects and have you ever worked on more than one at the same time?

Graham: I have a head full of ideas at any given moment. At the time of writing, I have the next two plots / crimes for both the Jake Boulder series and the Harry Evans series.

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Fortunately, the plots each define themselves to a character otherwise I could see me refereeing an almighty fight between Boulder and Evans.

Liz: Do you linger in your research period or do you rush your research to get stuck into the writing?

Graham: I do neither of those things. Instead I tend to research various points as I write. When it comes to locations for the Harry Evans novels, I will take a drive to them once the first draft is done and get a feel for them that I then feed into the story.

Liz:  Thank you so much for taking the time to speak to me here at The Crime warp on release day for The Kindred Killers...  Off you go now I've got a Jake Boulder book to read!

Graham Smith is married with a young son. A time served joiner he has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since Christmas 2000 he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland.

An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer and interviewer for the well-respected website Crimesquad.com since 2009

He is the author of four books featuring DI Harry Evans and the Cumbrian Major Crimes Team and one novel, WATCHING THE BODIES, in a new series featuring Utah doorman, Jake Boulder. The second Jake Boulder novel, THE KINDRED KILLERS, is released on the 12^th of September 2017